Unfamiliar Sky
by DeathByLechee
Summary: Ara had to leave from her own place that she once called home. She moved into an unfamiliar area encountering new people who may help find out who she really is while not knowing the dangers lurking around in the shadows... [Elsword x Ara]
1. A New Beginning

**Characters and Classes (I'll change classes if necessary):**

Ara: Base to Sakra Devanam

Elsword: Lord Knight

Aisha: Void Princess

Rena: Night Watcher

Raven: Blade Master

Eve: Code Empress

Chung: Deadly Chaser

Add: Lunatic Psyker

Lu: Noblesse

Ciel: Dreadlord

Elesis: Base to Grand Master

 **Also: I DO NOT own Elsword (sadly). Just to** **clarify... or not...**

* * *

Ara wondered if anyone would like her. Back in her hometown, she had many friends, all whom she had to abandon.

"Are you done unpacking and getting ready for school?" Ara covered her head with her pillow. This was a time where she wished the word 'school' never existed. But it did.

"Yes, mom," Ara mumbled. Throwing the pillow back to where it belonged, she went to her dresser and grabbed a photo of her old classmates. There they all were, laughing. She was shy when she was in 4th grade and there was a reason for that. She just felt so . . . . different from everyone else. It was very frustrating and lonely to see others with friends and her being all alone.

One day, Ara was sitting under a sakura tree on the grass in the school courtyard. She was in the middle of eating her lunch when she heard someone ask, "Would you like to be my friend?"

Ara looked up at the person who had just spoken to her. It was a girl named Elesis. She had crimson colored hair. She was so… pretty. Ara began to doubt her words.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yup! I wanted to get to know you for a really long time too." she replied.

After that, Ara began to hang out with her while keeping her guard up. After a while, she began to trust Elesis and didn't feel so bad anymore. They hung out almost everyday and became best friends. It felt great but the feeling that something was still different about her, that she didn't belong, was still lingering in her heart. She never got rid it.

She felt like there was still something in her, like a mysterious power, waiting to be awakened. She didn't understand what it was and didn't want to find out knowing that the truth would probably change her forever.

One day, Ara's parents decided to move out of the blue and she did not have a say in the matter. Ara wanted to stay with Elesis, the girl that she had just became friends with and a moment later, it all ends. She cursed at them, saying that they didn't even think about her while making their decision. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

Her mom then called her down for dinner. She quickly wiped her tears and placed the photo back to where it belonged and headed downstairs.

"Honey, you don't want to stay up too late today. You don't want to be late for your first day of school," her mom said. She obviously had no clue what she was going through. Her dad looked up, nodded, and went back to reading.

"Mom, have I ever been late to school? I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't need to worry about me so much." Ara answered.

"I know honey but… I care about you so much and I'm worried..."

What she had said had made Ara snap. "You care about me that much do you? Then why didn't you ever consider what I am going through after you guys dragged me away from the place that I loved?! How can you say that you care about me that much after not even considering me for just a minute back then? Why now?! Why over something so petty?! If you ever cared about me, then you should have listened to what I wanted to say…"

Her parents sat there in shock after what Ara had said to them. She felt no shame in what she had just done and she went upstairs. Ara wasn't hungry anymore, not after what she had said to them. Instead, she felt refreshed.

When Ara arrived inside of her room, she closed her door shut and opened her closet door. In it was a spear wrapped with a cloth. She took it out and unwrapped it.

It looked very dull and it had scratches all around the handle and the blade. She never used this spear… but deep inside, she would know how. She didn't know why she felt that way and ignored it. She thought about it for a moment, realizing she didn't even remember where she got it. Ara just knew that it can make her feel safe whenever she was upset and when she held it. There would always be a warm feeling.

After holding it for a while, Ara wrapped it up again and placed it back in its original place.

She laid down on her bed and fell fast asleep, dreaming about her and her friends in the past, where everyone was still happy and smiling.

* * *

 **First chapter done! I'm excited to see how this will do. I have a genuine idea on how the plot will go; I hope you all will like it. Thank you **~**

 ***Important Note (again): Credits to HuiXci (Catherine) on DeviantArt for making such a nice cover image for this fanfic. She makes wonderful art work so check her out if you have time! ( ^▽^)σ)~O~)**


	2. Surprise Attack

**Second Chapter. Have fun!**

* * *

Ara woke up from her bed at 9:45. Great. She woke up late on her first day of school. "My first impression isn't going to be good. I'll never get to know anyone then," she thought. "My new classmates won't want to be friends with me." She quickly got dressed and grabbed her breakfast and lunch on the counter and ran out.

When Ara turned the corner of her street, she crashed into someone and started to fall. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact of the hard floor. She waited and waited. Nothing.

"You can stop closing your eyes you know."

Ara opened her eyes in a slow manner only to see herself cradled in a guy's arms. He had crimson colored hair that reminded her of someone with a face that she could not look away from until she realized that he wasn't alone. Next to him was a beautiful girl, with purple hair standing close by with a furious expression. Ara turned back to looking at the red head. It was then when Ara realized that this guy was… well… a guy. She started to fumble around.

"W-who are you? What do you want from me?"

"Is that how you thank a person that saves you from falling?" he asks with a bored but dangerous expression on his face.

Ara stepped back a bit. "If you hadn't bumped into me, then I wouldn't have fell! Get away from me!" and she pushed him away and made her way towards the school. She could feel their eyes looking at her when she walked away.

At school, all Ara thought about was about how she treated the guy back at the corner. It was her fault that she had bumped into him, not his. Why did she act the way that she did to that particular guy? Usually, she would just thank them and walk away quickly, not push them. Ara made her way to the school with the guilt from earlier.

It was 10:05 when Ara finally arrived at the school doors after getting lost around town. School already started at 10. She was not making a good impression today. Ara ran all the way to the doors of her classroom. The teacher looked at her for a moment, smiled and then signaled for her to enter the room.

"Hello... My name is Ara Haan. I just moved here last week and I would like to get to know you all. Please treat me well!"

When Ara looked up, she saw a guy with familiar crimson hair. There was no doubt about it. He was the guy that she had bumped into earlier. Ara blushed and turned away. The teacher then told her to sit in front of that guy whose name was Elsword. Perfect. Ara walked up to her seat and he stared at her, head resting on his hand not seeming caring about what happened earlier.

Ara looked up at the front of the board and tried to get his face away from her head. Not happening. She could feel that burning sensation of his eyes just drilling a hole in her back. Ara couldn't wait for the bell to ring for lunch.

Once the bell rang, she quickly started to pack her stuff. When she started to leave the classroom, she heard girls squealing and screaming behind her for someone to eat lunch with them. Ara turned around only to see that Elsword, with a seemingly friendly face, was surrounded by girls including the purple haired girl from earlier named Aisha trying to be the closest to him. Ara quickly turned around and headed to the deserted but calming rooftop to eat her lunch.

Once school was over, Ara stayed after school after being asked "kindly" by Aisha to clean up the classroom for her saying that she had to go do something. It took her a few hours to clean up since she was quite clumsy.

When Ara was out heading towards the main gate of the school and getting ready to go, a group of monsters with glowing eyes and weapons jumped in front of her and made her fall backwards.

Realizing the dangerous situation that she was in, she got up. Her spear appeared in her hands and was seemingly ready to fight.

"What? Why?" she asked, confused. "Well I can't complain now. I have to do what I can! Let's see... Tempest Dance!" In swift and natural movements, Ara attacked the glitters but they don't seem to have much effect, only that it made them mad.

Ara looked down at her spear and started to smile. "OK... Let's try this! Wind Wedge!" In blinding speeds, Ara attacked the monsters until one of them fell backwards.

"Yes! I'm doing damage!" Once Ara let her guard down, they started in reincarnate and multiply in numbers.

"You-you're not serious, right?" The monsters got ready: spear, bow, and shield and jumped to attack.

Ara immediately closed her eyes, ready for the impact.

In that instant, a familiar figure jumped in front of her and cut the enemies down.

"Sonic Blade!"

"What...?" Ara gasped and her vision went blank.

* * *

When Ara woke up, she looked around to find herself in the infirmary. Elsword was also there, sitting on a chair next to her bed.

Ara quickly sat up in surprise.

"W-what are you doing here?! Didn't you already leave?" she asked.

"I just saved you (again) and this is the thanks that I get? How cold." he stated with the same dull expression on his face.

It took a moment for Ara to register what he said. He was the one who rescued her? Her eyes went wide with surprise. "O-oh, really? Thank you."

He seemed uninterested.

"If she's ok, then can we leave now? I'm bored of waiting and it's getting late." Aisha was standing right next to him, looking at Ara with a nasty look in her eyes.

 _'She was here the whole time? How did I not notice?'_ she thought. Ara was starting to feel uneasy.

Elsword looked at Aisha and then at the clock. "It is getting late." He turned to Ara. "I guess we're leaving now. ...Your spear is next to you. Also, don't worry about what you saw today. It has nothing to do with you. You can leave whenever you feel like it." He stood up and headed for the door.

Ara looked at him and Aisha with the smirk on her face leave, stunned. _'_ _Whenever you feel like it? Nothing to do with me? I was ambushed unknowingly and he says don't worry? How could he say such a thing? I thought that he would be kind but no, just cold-hearted.'_

After a little while, Ara hesitantly grabbed her spear, left the school building and went home. ' _Tomorrow's a brand new day'_ she thought. ' _It should get better tomorrow, right?'_

That's what Ara thought anyway.

* * *

 **Done! R &R so I know what you all think of this chapter. Look forward for more!**

 **Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes. If there are any, please point them out so I can fix them.**

 **Also, updates this quick probably won't happen too often. I just happened to have quite a bit of free time.**

 **Happy Thanksgiving! *gobble gobble***

 **\- Lechee**


	3. Unfriendly Encounter

**...be prepared... ish.**

* * *

It was the next day and Ara was excited again to go to school. ' _Maybe things will be better today. I really hope it is..._ '

On her way to school, she saw Elsword but no Aisha with him.

"...Hi, Elsword. Where's Aisha?"

He didn't say anything for the first few moments but then answered, "Aisha had to go to the student counsel's office to file in some forms so she left early today."

"O-oh…" Ara replied. They walked in silence but she felt a gaze on her. She started to feel a little uneasy until they got to the gates of the school. In the top of her head, she remembered how she was wondering Elsword's relationship with Aisha was yesterday.

"Is Aisha your g-girlfriend?" she asked Elsword.

Elsword stopped in his tracks and looked at her with yet another bored expression but this time, with a little of the cold and dangerous feel to it.

"It's none of your business." and he headed straight for class.

Ara also went to class but started to feel that someone was following her again. She turned around and looked behind her but there was no one.

She felt that same gaze on her throughout her classes.

Right when the lunch bell rang, Ara went to the bathroom. She could not concentrate at all while thinking about that same strange sensation when she was walking to and around school. Suddenly, she felt a presence.

"Get her, girls!" someone shouted.

Before Ara could see who that was, a couple of girls grabbed her by the arms, blindfolded her and dragged her out of the bathroom.

Ara felt a grassy feeling outside as she was being dragged across the school grounds and finally, dumped on the courtyard grounds of the school. Her blindfold was taken off to reveal Aisha with many popular girls around her, furious.

Aisha pointed at Ara, "YOU were the one who walked with Elsword this morning, weren't you? And after I went through the trouble of making sure that you knew to not interfere…"

Ara started to shake with fear.

She grabbed her by the hair. She wasn't as weak as she seems, despite her height and appearance. "Answer me!"

"Y-yes…" Ara quietly replied.

"Hmph. I thought so. You think that you are pretty enough to casually walk with Elsword to school? You think that he likes you that much? You think that you are special and can just ignore us? Well think again. You're just a stranger and a new person; know your place!" Aisha exclaimed. "You can start whenever you like girls."

The girls that were beside her grabbed Ara and put a cloth in her mouth and tied her hands up. They then dumped some muddy water on her.

The girls giggled. "Try going to our prince to see if he will help you now. ~"

They placed a bug on Ara and squealed. Not long after, they started to stomp on the bug and her at the same time. Ara started to cry silently in agony and pain.

After Ara was a mess, they stopped, untied her and ran away laughing. She had trouble standing or looking up. Ara never knew that people like this existed. She laid there for a while and tried to get up but with the shocking pain she collapsed again.

' _Why did this happened to me…?_ ' she thought.

"Someone, get help! This girl is hurt!"

"Who's… there…?" Ara faintly asked and she fell into unconsciousness.

"...up. Wake up. Are you alright? Hey." Ara knew who that voice belonged to. ' _I can't face him right now. I'll just pretend that I'm still sleeping or something._ ' she thought.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ok, then I guess that you don't want my company. I'll be leaving then."

Ara sat up immediately with Elsword looking over his shoulder at her. ' _Why did I just do that?!_ ' she thought.

"Now you wake up. Do you know how late it's getting? Good thing that Aisha was able to take care of herself. You should really thank me for bringing you up here... _again_." he sighed. "What happened to you back there anyway? You were covered in bruises from head to toe."

"...Shouldn't you be going back home now? You don't have to get involved in my problems. I can take care of myself just fine."

Elsword looked at Ara straight in the eye, "If I could, I would," he replied. "I'm part of the ElGang so I'm not allowed to leave someone hurt by themselves behind, unfortunately. Heck, I didn't even want to be in it anyway. Just got dragged into it, I guess."

"ElGang?! What is that?"

"Just some group of students that protect the school from monsters like the monsters you've encountered. Nothing that pretty and special." he answered.

"I see…"

We both sat there in silence until Elsword spoke again.

"Well it looks like you're fine enough to go home by yourself?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Thank you for looking out for me," Ara replied.

"You should go home quickly before it gets even darker and get yourself cleaned up." Elsword said and started to head for the door. Ara got out of the bed and attempted to walk to the school exit but collapsed due to the aching pain of her bruises. He turned around.

"Sigh… I can't leave you alone, can I?" He crouched, "Here, get on my back. I'll carry you back to your place."

Ara looked up at him, "I couldn't burden you more than I already have. I can manage, you go on ahead."

He looked at her, annoyed. "Look, you've already bothered me more than I would've liked already but I'm offering you help. The least you could do is accept my offer."

"A-alright." Ara got on his back.

Elsword carried her in silence all the way back to her house. "Look. I don't know what happened but try not to get in trouble again. Next time, I might not be able to be there to help you." He let her down.

Ara looked at Elsword and her eyes widened. ' _His eyes seem somewhat... friendly?_ ' Ara's cheek began to get a little warm "T-thank you, Elsword. Walk home safe." she told him. He nodded and started to walk down the street.

Ara stared at his back wondering what the fluttering feeling was in her chest.

* * *

 **I apologize to those who genuinely like Aisha. If that part was too much, I can change it anytime (or try to). I can assure that she'll get friendlier in the future though (spoiler?)**

 **Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes. If there are any, please point them out so I can fix them.**

 **Note: Art by HuiXci (Catherine) on DeviantArt**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-Lechee**


	4. Just a Normal Day in Class?

***smiles***

* * *

Ara had just arrived in her classroom when the bell rung and quickly scurried to her seat. 'I'm so glad that I made it in time…' she thought. She scanned the room for the teacher, instead, finding a man with eerie clothing and some sort of mask coming in and introducing himself.

"Hello, fellow students. I am Glave, your real homeroom teacher. The teacher that came in yesterday was a substitute. I couldn't make it yesterday due to some… problems..."

Many students stared at Glave. Elsword, Aisha, and three others were the only ones that weren't.

"If you all want to know me so bad then go to my dimension… I would happily let you in to keep me company…" Glave replied to the students.

All of them turned away.

"Stop teasing them Glave. We're not here to fool around. You of all people should know this." Everyone turned towards the person who had just spoken out. It was Elsword.

Aisha, who was sitting next to him, stood up and squealed. "Kyaaaa!~ Elsword is the best after all! He's smart, athletic, and a good leader too. I wish he was my homeroom teacher, just for me.~ Everyone of you people should keep your hands off of him. He's mine!" Every girl started to complain saying that Elsword was for everyone which turned the classroom into a battlefield… All for that one guy.

Elsword started to look annoyed. "If you don't mind, Glave, I think that it is better for me to go outside and get some fresh air. It looks like this classroom is in chaos because of me." He stood up and left the classroom.

Aisha smiled, stood up, and started to follow Elsword when he turned around at the door and told her to go back to class. She started to look upset and Elsword hugged her. A moment later, he walked off leaving Aisha balancing her way to her seat and blushing hard.

"Did you see that?" one girl whispered.

"Aisha is sooo lucky… I'm jealous," another said.

"It can't be helped since Aisha and Elsword are from a noble family… I heard that they were supposingly already paired up since middle school." the girl behind her sighed. "I hate to admit it but… they look like the perfect couple…"

"Status, huh? No wonder they were so close…" Ara thought. She couldn't help but think that she ought to stay away from Elsword from now on, seeing that he was Aisha's potential boyfriend, also regarding the bully incident not too long ago.

"Ahem…so now that that is cleared up, we should get started, shall we?"

* * *

 ***RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING***

Lunch time. Ara did not particularly like this time of the day. Everyone had lunches that were handmade and look, (and maybe even taste) good. To top it off, almost everyone was hanging out with their friends and talking to one another. Ara on the other hand was… alone. She had no one to talk to or even sit next to. It was not a fun feeling to be sitting alone in the classroom, possibly being talked about quietly. She caught a glimpse of Aisha staring at her while talking with a girl next to her with long blonde hair and… a… *cough* considerably sized chest. She looked away. This was not comfortable at all.

Aisha talked with the blonde… Rena, in a loud voice, "So I asked if I could follow him and he hugged me! Like this!"

She showed Rena by hugging her.

"OMG. What if you were to confess to him?! He cannot turn you down if he would do that!" Rena exclaimed.

Aisha clapped her hands, "That's right! Not to mention that I'm pretty and cute. There is no way that this isn't going to work!"

It was then when Ara slammed her hands on the desk and stood up. When she realized what she had just done, she looked around. Everyone was looking at her, including Aisha who was smiling. Ara couldn't bear to be there anymore so she ran out of the classroom.

Where was she going to go? Ara didn't know but she knew that wandering around in the halls was better than being in that room so that was what she did. Fortunately for her, there was barely anyone in the halls with her.

Ara went around the school, exploring every single corner that she could find in the school. While wandering, she found a room that was… different than the other rooms she had seen. Every room was dull and looked the same but this room was the one that really caught her eye. This door did not have a window and was very decorated with designs.

Ara put her hand on the knob. She was about to try and go in when she realized that the door had a lock. Ara backed away from the door, disappointed that she could not go inside.

' _Oh well. I hope that there is a day where I can go inside. I bet that isn't today. I'll keep that door in mind._ '

She left the door alone and started to wander again when she found Elsword, also walking down the halls. He did not seem to give any mind to her as he was listening to music. That also reminded her that she made a promise that she would not bother him and Aisha anymore. She looked away from him.

It was then when Ara heard some commotion outside of the window. She looked at Elsword to find that he too was startled as well. They looked out the window. What they saw was nothing that they thought they would ever see in their lives.

It was an army of demons down at the front gate.

* * *

 **Should I make these chapters longer? I don't want anyone to get bored while reading this but I also don't want people to think that these chapters were too short at the same time... Tell me what you'd want? Also regarding the chapter title... should I change it or no?**

 **I know this is late but Merry Christmas! Happy New Year to you all as well!~**

 **R &R and as always, t** **hanks for reading!**

 **-Lechee**


	5. A New Enemy, A New Power

**Ignore this little piece of text and read like usual C:**

* * *

"What...?" Elsword asked.

Ara wanted to ask the same thing but couldn't speak. She was terrified.

"Go into your class and stay there and don't do anything, understood?" Ara nodded without a second thought. Elsword looked out the window again "I'll warn the staff about this…" After he was done talking, he started to run to the teacher's lounge. Ara stood there trying to decipher what he had said. Once she had, she started to run for her classroom.

Not long after Elsword had left, an announcement came on with the principal, Ms. Stella, speaking. "There is an attack outside at the front gate. Those of you who are outside should stop what they're doing and come back in immediately. I would like those of you that are part of the _ElGang_ to meet at the front of the school and wait for further instructions. I would also like everyone else to stay in their appropriate homerooms until this matter is solved. Thank you for your cooperation."

After the announcement was made, students appeared in the halls and scrambled to get to their homerooms. ' _ElGang? The group that Elsword mentioned that he was in? Why did they get called down? No matter, I should get going too,_ ' Ara thought.

Ara had made it to her homeroom to find that the classroom seemed a bit… empty. Aisha wasn't in the room with her friend and Elsword was missing as well. Ara started to get worried. "Um… There are students missing in the room. Shouldn't we go and ask the others where they went?"

Everyone looked at her.

One of the girls went up to Ara. "You don't know who they were? I guess no one told you. Well it can't be helped. Take a look outside." She pointed toward the window. Ara looked.

The demons were still marching towards the school. It took a while to understand what she was trying to tell her until she saw a group of people walking out of the school building. Elsword and Aisha were also part of that group.

"W-w-w-what?! Why are they going outside? They're going to get hurt! We have to help them!" Ara started to make a dash for the door but was stopped when the same girl grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"You don't need to help them. They're fine." she said.

"How are they going to be fine if they just walk outside like that?!" Ara asked

"Just watch." All of the students gathered around the window, looking at the ElGang.

It was at that moment when they transformed, each wearing different clothing and carrying different weapons. Aisha wore a purple jacket and held a staff. Rena wore green and carried a large bow. Elsword wore red and carried a detailed looking sword by his side. The rest of the group changed in the same manner. Ara watched in awe as this played out.

After they had completely transformed, Aisha teleported while the rest of them dashed faster than Ara expected at the demons. The looks on their faces became serious. Everyone out there started using weird attacks, similar to the way she moved when she had fought the glitters yesterday but in a more complex manner.

A moment later, a large number of demons fell to the ground. Ara looked at the girl beside her, surprised. She whispered, "They're using unique weapons that are only meant for each of them. What their using is called skills which are also unique. I'll tell you about each of the people out there and their attacks later when we get a chance to talk again." Ara nodded and turned back to the window.

Ara looked at Elsword fighting outside. He looked so brave unlike herself. Ara unconsciously spoke out loud.

*sigh* "I wish I could be part of that group too… Maybe then I would be stronger and confident in myself..."

Not a moment later, Ara was on the ground. She looked up and saw a girl with her hands out. "You? Part of the ElGang? Don't make me laugh. You're not good enough to be part of the group. They're special. You're just a brat that just transferred here. Don't get too full of yourself. I, on the other hand, have been here for all of my life. I might not look like it, but I am a master katana wielder and I know that they know about me. Those demons would've fallen much quicker if I was out there. I will be the next person to take the empty spot in that group!"

Everyone turned to look their way. She and her friends started to laugh while making fun of Ara. She could not stand them anymore. She stood up and pushed her away.

"Wha-?"

Ara decided to tell her her feelings about the situation at hand, "You will never be part of the ElGang. Seeing them out there fighting for this whole school and town, they seem like the type of people that are willing to put their lives before others. They seem like they suffered a lot in their past…You had no right to say that being the type of person that you are. " Then, Ara started to feel a sudden pain in her heart. In the back of her head was a person that she didn't know but deep down, she knew that this person was important to her.

The girl looked shocked, "I… Did I just get told off by an insect? Heh. You have some nerve to say such a thing!" She started to raise a hand and strike when suddenly, the commotion outside of the window became louder. Everyone looked out. Every person from the ElGang was bonded by some dark aura from the demons and couldn't move. Ara and everyone else stood there and watched, shocked at what was happening.

The girl with her hands in the air spoke, "...this can't be happening, can it? They… they can't be defeated just like that…" Once she had spoken, every student in the classroom and nearby rooms started to panic while demons started to infiltrate the building.

"Let me go home!" one student shouted.

"No... No... I don't want to die like this..." another one gasped.

Ara was still standing there at the window in a daze until someone shouted, "Ara! Look out!" She was not paying attention and got back to her senses only to find a human-looking demon in front of her and started to surround her with a similar dark aura in which the ElGang was held captive by.

"Ar-!" Everyone's voices were cut off. Ara could only see the human-looking demon that was standing in front of her. His evil looking hands start to move towards her. In a panic, Ara summoned her spear and slashed at it in an instant making the demon disappear. Ara looked down at her spear. ' _How did I... again? That demon... he looks familiar but... who is he? No, no! Now I must focus on breaking free and help the others out!_ '

Ara attempted to attack the darkness and try to break free of the dark aura but it was no use. Nothing was working. Ara collapsed to the ground and started tearing up.

"I... I... I'm so useless... I can't do anything to protect anyone or myself... I can't do anything at all..." and she started to cry a bit until light started to appear from her chest.

"Do you wish to become strong?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"W-who's there?!" Ara got a hold of her spear, wiped her tears, and quickly stood up.

"There is no need to be alarmed. I am _Eun_ , a fox spirit. I am willing to grant you my power in exchange that you find a way to break the seal from this hairpin in which I am held captive by..."

"Hairpin?" Ara looked down next to her hands to find a beautiful white and orange hairpin with a fox design on it.

"Wear it and I will grant you the power that you have always been longing for. It is up to you, however, if you wish to use that power or not."

Ara looked at the hairpin for a bit. ' _This hairpin might be the answer to the questions that I have been having up to thit point.'_ Ara thought. _'Who am I really? Who was that person that I saw in my memories? Who was that demon? Was there a reason why I came here and met the ElGang?_ ' Ara picked up the hairpin and wore it in her hair. There was no turning back now. This is the only chance that she would have to accept in order to become stronger for the sake of herself and everyone dear to her...

Light started to surround Ara and not long after, everything turned white.

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **I've made this chapter longer than usual. If you all like this length or if you want it to be longer, tell me.**

 **I'll try my best to make these chapters with this length. (9*^*)9**

 **R &R and as always, thanks for reading!**

 **-Lechee**


	6. A New Enemy, A New Power (Continued)

**Continuing from the previous chapter...**

 **Also, Lunatic Psyker will be changed to Mastermind as requested. Just a minor change in detail (Only affects his skills, not his personality, really) :3**

 **Another character I will have to change will be either Dreadlord or Noblesse (because we can't have two Lu's and Ciel's roaming around lol) Which one should I add? Royal Guard or Chiliarch? Sorry for my mistake...**

* * *

"Then this power is granted to you. You might be able to unlock many secrets with this decision depending on how you choose to use me." Eun replied.

"I am in your care then, Eun." Ara told her.

Light began to shower around her and got rid of the demon aura that was surrounding her. Once that light was gone, Ara was able to open her eyes. She looked around to find that all of the demons that had been in the school building had disappeared. Everyone was also looking at her with shocked faces.

"Wh-What are you wearing and holding, Ara?" one of the students asked and pointed. "And what happened?"

Ara looked down to find herself wearing an orange outfit that she knew that she did not wear or own before. In her hands was her spear which was also different with the newly oriental decorations on it and the glowing aura around it. She was also feeling stronger than before.

' _With this new power, I can probably...!_ ' Ara thought. She ran downstairs and headed for the front door as fast as she can. However, Ms. Stella was there guarding the door.

"Young lady, where are you going? What are you wearing and holding?! It's dangerous out there. You cannot fool me and leave! Go back to your classroom immediately!" She exclaimed in a somewhat shaking voice.

"But...!" Ara started to say. ' _This is my only chance…!_ ' "I-I'm sorry, Ms. Stella, but this is urgent! Please let me out!" Ara forced her way through the door and outside.

"Come back here this instant!" Ms. Stella yelled with a shocked and worried expression. The demon's aura started to head towards the door, however, and forced her to close the door shut.

Ara got to the area where the ElGang was being held captive by the demon aura. Elsword and the rest of the ElGang turned and looked towards her. "Ara?! What are you doing here? Go back to where it's saf-!" Elsword started to struggle in pain and turn pale as the demons started to suck the life energy out of him along with the rest of the ElGang. They all looked like they were suffering.

"E-Eun, what am I supposed to do here?! I have to help them quick, but I don't know what to do!" Ara exclaimed to her new companion.

"Mhmm~ Let me handle this. You will fall unconscious for a moment but once you wake up, everything will be resolved. You as you are right now is still too weak to control my power and will consume you whole if you try. I hope you will understand." Eun replied.

Ara nodded and at that instant, the Eun's hairpin started to glow and engulf her in light body.

Not long after that, she transformed yet again but this time, with nine white fox tails and long white hair. The ElGang watched in shock as this played out.

Eun started to attack the demons with Ara's body fiercely and the number of fallen demons grew and grew. The demon aura that had surrounded the ElGang began to diminish and eventually, they escaped from it.

"Ara... was it? Is this really you?" Rena asked while waving her hand in her face. Eun smacked her hand away. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Oh? I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you. I guess that that is expected." Eun turned towards everyone. "The person standing in front of you all right now isn't the Ara that you all know." Eun glanced at Elsword who looked the most surprised, smiled, and quickly turned back to looking at everyone else.

"I should introduce myself. I am Eun, a sacred fox that has its soul sealed in the hairpin that Ara was wearing earlier with a fox decoration. I am currently in control of Ara at the moment. She wished to help you all but doesn't possess the power to control me yet. Once I go back to sleep in the hairpin, the Ara that you are all familiar with will come back but as of now, she'll wake up forgetting everything that happened while she is in this state. I believe that is all I will say. Now shall we get back to fighting? Ara's body won't be able to contain me much longer and there are waves of demons approaching." Eun pointed to the next wave of demons at the gate.

"A-ah... alright." Rena said.

The ElGang and Eun started to fight back against the demons that invaded the school.

"Phantom Seeker!"

"Shooting Star!"

"Soul Infest!"

"Time to put an end to this." Eun said.

Out of everyone that yelled out their skills, it was Elsword that yelled the loudest, determined to save everyone from the demons.

"Armageddon Blade and Whirlwind!"

Eun looked at Elsword transforming his sword into a bigger and powerful sword and spin like a tornado quickly after, diminishing the number of enemies left. ' _Oh Ara. You have a long way before you can compare with him. Work hard and you can become stronger than everyone._ '

"Falling Dragon."

Eun slammed her spear at the ground and caused the ground to crumble and shake as she finished off the last of the demons. "Now that that is done…" Eun said. She closed her eyes and glowed again as she went back to sleep in the hairpin and changed back to Ara.

A moment after, Ara's body stopped glowing and she regained consciousness and looked around to see that everyone at the school and the ElGang was looking her way.

"W-what? Why is everyone staring at me? Where did all of the demons go? Someone say something…" Her legs gave out and she fell onto the floor, unable to stand.

"Looks like you aren't as you seem, huh?" Elsword went up to Ara and held his hand out to her despite looking like he could collapse from exhaustion at any moment. Ara paused for a moment and took a glimpse at Aisha looking like she might snap at any second. Ara quickly turned back at Elsword to see him giving her a warm and friendly face, a face in which she wasn't used to. She reluctantly took his hand and stood up. He looked at everyone else. "Well? What do you all think of her?"

Everyone looked at Ara, smiled and nodded. Aisha, however, opposed to whatever idea they had.

"All of what she had done must have been a coincidence. She doesn't even remember what happened. If she wasn't taken over by that... weird thing in her hairpin or whatever, she would have done nothing but get in our way. I don't think she'll be helpful." After saying that, Aisha flashed a glance and a glare at Ara before looking away.

Elsword looked at Aisha. "I don't think that the fox spirit... Eun, could control and use her like that if she was just a normal girl."

"Y-yes but… I still don't believe her. Why do you think that she still has this special power to join our group anyway? No one has proof that she can do anything without Eun. Eun also said that Ara was too weak to use her anyway. What would she be able to offer?"

"What about the incident earlier this week? She was able to fight the monsters for a while. And then there's the incident today. I'm sure that if we accepted her we would be able to help her grow and learn a thing or two from her as well." Elsword replied.

Aisha opened her eyes wide and looked down. "T-that must have been a coincidence... There's no way..."

Ara looked at him confused and surprised at his behavior. ' _He still remembered that incident? A-anyway, why is he helping me anyway? He's supposed to be the cold and uncaring person like before... Is this his true self? And what about this group their talking about? They couldn't be meaning to add me as a member into the ElGang, right? I wouldn't be able to do anything anyway..._ ''

"She can fight and if she joins us, I'm sure that she would be able to get stronger and help more. We were looking for a new member too. The decision is final." Elsword nodded and turned towards the other members of the ElGang.

"Let's all meet up in the ElGang lounge after we clean up the school. We'll continue this talk later," he told everyone.

' _E-ElGang Lounge?!'_ Ara remembered the usual door that was locked earlier and her eyes opened wide. 'Are _you serious?!_ ' It looks like Ara's "normal" high school life won't be so normal after all.

* * *

 **In the future , I'll try and make chapters that are a little less than twice as long? ( _2000-3000 words depending on where the story is maybe?_ ) Going to take longer to write so I apologize if I don't upload a new chapter for a while.**

 **R &R and as always, thanks for reading!**

 **-Lechee**


	7. Responsibilities

Ara and the rest of the ElGang transform into their school uniforms and go back inside the school where every student was waiting for them. They greeted Ara with applause and looked at her with curiosity.

"Ara! Are you alright?" One asked.

"What you did just now was really cool! You seem like an entirely new person! Well… I guess you are now." Another commented.

Ara couldn't think. She was… being praised? This was like a dream to her, being person who was usually excluded from everyone and someone who didn't talk very often.

As the compliments and comments kept on piling up, Ara felt weird. This was a nice feeling but… she didn't know how to react, making her uncomfortable. She turned around and looked at the ElGang. They were all flashing friendly faces towards her… not including Elsword and Aisha.

Aisha, as usual, refused to looked at her and the crowd that formed around them, much less acknowledge her. Elsword, on the other hand, couldn't care less about what was happening and looked like he would rather fall asleep due to how tired he was after fighting.

 _'He must've been really tired after all of that. Who wouldn't be? Wouldn't that also make it so people would say things that they don't mean?'_ Ara thought. _'I wonder if I should go to the meeting that he asked her to go to later... I wouldn't want to bother anyone...'_

She put up a forced smile while bothered by the thought of her possibly being a burden to everyone around her.

Ms. Stella spoke up and told everyone to start cleaning up the building to the best of their ability. Everyone dispersed to their classrooms and started cleaning up the school.

After cleaning up the school, making it look better than before, Elsword, Aisha, Rena and Ara headed to the ElGang lounge as scheduled after the fight.

Elsword opened the fancy looking door to reveal that everyone else was already there on the couches.

"Go on!" Rena told Ara. "Have a seat and we'll start with the introductions soon."

Ara was shocked when they invited her to sit with them. Her worried earlier faded away and did as she was told and took a seat. After doing so, she looked around the room to find that the room was lively and decorated with cute furniture like plants and a kitchen.

"Now, can we begin?" Ara turned around and everyone started to introduce themselves to her.

Elsword spoke first. "I guess that I should talk first since I'm the leader of the group." He stood up and everyone's attention was focused on him.

After he introduced himself, everyone followed his example. Aisha, Rena, Raven, Eve, Chung, Add, Lu and Ciel.

Everyone turned their eyes to Ara , which she wasn't expecting. ' _I guess I have to introduce myself now…'_ and she stood up.

"M-my name is Ara Haan as you all know. I'm just a normal girl who just transferred here the yesterday. I… I'll admit that I don't know why or how I was able to use this spear… I hope that being with you all will help me answer this lingering question. In the meantime, I'll work hard and try not to drag you all down!" Ara bowed.

The room was silent as Ara finished her introduction. "You said that you didn't know how to use your spear earlier? Do you know how you were able to obtain this ability earlier?" Ara looked up to see Elsword talking to her. "Well I guess that power came from the hairpin that you own but do you know what happened before that that was able to trigger that power?"

Ara thought for moment before remembering the incident before she had transformed. "This might not be helpful as of right now, but I was engulfed in the demon aura in the school… There was someone inside- A demon... and almost grabbed me before I attacked it… It looked like someone that I know I knew before, but I can't recall who it is… It had long, white hair and some kind of sword..."

Chung stood up and grabbed Ara by the shoulders and looked straight at her, "You saw that demon?! Tell me, are you sure you saw him?"

Ara was shocked by his sudden question. She looked up at Chung to see that his expression had changed into something more… dangerous. He tightened his hold on Ara's shoulder and she started to cripple under his grip.

"Chung, cut it out!" Elsword yelled and started to walk over to Chung and started pulling him away from Ara. Raven accompanied him. "Keep yourself together! You're hurting Ara by succumbing to your hate for that demon!"

Chung then snapped back to his senses, frowned, and looked over at Ara worriedly. "I-I'm sorry for doing that to you. I hope you'll forgive me…"

"N-no, It's quite alright… It looked like you knew a lot about him and was in a way traumatized by something that had to do with him while I'm here mindlessly talking about what I saw…" Ara responded.

Once the commotion was settled down, Elsword started to talk again. "So, it looks like Ara knows or in this case, is accompanied with 'Ran' in the past. This will really alter how we deal with him in the near future…"

"Ran?" Ara asked. "Was that his name..?"

"We're not sure if that is his real name." Elsword shook his head. "This was what he was referred to by lower class demons. I'm sorry that we couldn't be of more help to you with this information."

Ara shook her hands. "Lower class? Does that mean that he's a high ranked demon?"

Lu proceeded to answer her question and stood up, almost sounding annoyed. "Ran is a high ranked demon, but he isn't the highest. There are others that are much higher than him! For example, I was once at the top of the ranks—"

"That's enough, Lu. You don't need to inform her of your past." Ciel cut Lu off. "I don't suppose that you would want to either."

Lu sat back down while Ciel started to prepare another cup of tea for her.

"W-well, isn't that quite enough for us to base our search on right now? Can I ask when are we going to start by any chance?"

"Everything would be settled already if that was the case, you idiot."

Ara and Elsword turned to face the person who was speaking. Aisha.

"Must I need to explain everything to you? I thought that you already knew what was going on when you joined the ElGang. Guess I was wrong—"

Aisha paused to see everyone looking at her in displeasure and quickly stopped. "B-back to what I was saying, that might seem like the most logical reason but you have to remember, we're dealing with demons and not something that anyone has seen before. We can't just go and ask around to see if they saw him or the other leaders. We also can't freely look around for clues either. The school and the town would then be vulnerable to attacks from other parties."

Elsword steps in to continue. "Aisha is right, Ara Haan. Starting today, if you agree to become a part of the group, you'll have to start helping others and carry the burden of which we all carry even as we speak. The burden of everyone's lives. Yes, being in here means that you have a lot of access to various places and power to do a lot that others can't do, but that is nothing more than an ideal."

Ara didn't know what Elsword was talking about. "I don't understand… This… Isn't this a little too much? We're talking about everyone in the school. That's still a lot of people! Can't we have more people to he—"

"Ara."

She stopped talking as soon as Elsword called out her name.

"This job isn't light. We all know. With what you just witnessed, that should've been obvious. Wrong decisions that we make and wrong actions that we take will hurt others. We all are able to use these weapons to protect ourselves." Elsword gestured towards his sword.

"But we also chose to use them for the sake of everyone else. That's why the ElGang was founded. Each of us has a reason for being here, even if it's for a personal gain, but one thing is certain; everyone is willing to help those that can't help themselves. Ara, you have to think of how your decisions will affect others and not just saying what you believe you could do."

Aisha and Elsword were right. Ara recalled what they had just told her. The role of being here is to protect the students and everyone else without making them worry. Even while knowing that this was what the ElGang wanted, she still felt otherwise.

"I know that everyone here agrees with Elsword and Aisha, and that could be the right thing to do." Ara started to tremble with her words as she started talking. "B-but I still believe that we should try and look for him."

"Did you even hear a word that Elsword and I just said?!" Aisha started to yell at Ara.

Before Aisha said anything more Elsword walked and stood next to Aisha. "It's not a bad idea to hear what she wants to say first, alright?" He put his hand on her shoulder and Aisha immediately tensed up and closed her mouth.

Ara continues. "T-this might not be right, but I believe that finding the source of the problem would be better than having to constantly face the demons every time they decide to invade like before. I'm just guessing b-but I don't think that you have ever faced something as big as the raid before so they should be training themselves... o-or gaining power of some sort. S-so I just—"

"You think that taking out the leader would solve a lot of the conflicts around here?"

Everyone's attention turned to face Raven. "It's not a bad idea. In battles that involve sides like the demons, taking out the leader would be the best option to end a battle. It would also help us hone our skills more. However, in our case, if we're going to follow what Ara said, we would have to be strategic about it so the students won't become a target when we head for their stronghold."

Elsword thought about it. "You're right… That should be the best thing to do here. If the demons are really becoming stronger, we wouldn't be able to protect anyone at our level… If you all agree with this, I'll think about what we should do."

It took a while for everyone to become convinced about this possible plan of attack. When everyone agreed, they were then dismissed, realizing that it was starting to get late.

Ara was about to leave the room as well when Elsword called for her again. "About earlier, we still need you to make a decision about whether you want to join the ElGang or not. It may be difficult, but you still have everyone else that are willing to work alongside you whenever they get the chance. Please, take the time to think about it and come back here when you have made a decision."

Ara nodded and walked out of the room. She remembered the time when she fought alongside everyone. It was a nice feeling to be able to do something with others, even though it might be difficult at times.

As Ara walked out of the school building, she looked up into the sky. 'Working with me… That means that I won't be alone… right?' Ara let out a sigh. 'That would be nice….'

She continued to walk home as she thought about what the future had in store for her if she had joined and became a part of the ElGang.

* * *

 **Sorry for the lack of updates for the past 6-7 months (Can't recall exactly) I've been having a lack of inspiration as of late and didn't know what I should write about so I took a break... I guess that it was a bit overdue? I apologize for that...**

 **R &R and as always, thanks for reading!**

 **-Lechee**


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